Passing Time

Daylight Saving Time always catches me by surprise. Traveling between times as I write about the past heightens my awareness about how quickly things change, one season to the next. East and west markers change as I witness the sun rise and set.

I’ve never been comfortable adhering to rigid schedules. Now in retirement, I only have one commitment that requires being “on time.” What a funny expression, “on time.”

I have a number of non-working watches. Finding the right replacement batteries seems such a waste of my time. But I do have clocks. A lot of them, in fact.

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I can’t always remember which ones still need to be changed …

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Most are battery powered because I lived off the power grid for so many years, or in prairie storm-country where I often lost power. Some of the clocks are works of art and craftsmanship.

Despite all of these constant reminders, I much prefer to live by “Indian time,” doing things when “the time is right,” rather than adhering to rigid schedules. It makes life more unpredictable to be sure, but there’s a lot to said about the benefits of “going with the flow.” Maybe that explains why I’ve only changed some of clocks to the newly imposed meaning of time.

I prefer to measure time by watching the sun rise and set, and by marveling about how quickly my grandchildren change as they grow. It brings to mind a song from Fiddler on the Roof, Sunrise Sunset.

“Is this the little girl I carried
Is this the little boy at play
I don’t remember growing older
When did they

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Measuring the Passage of Time – 2009 to 2016

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“When did she get to be a beauty
When did he grow to be so tall
Wasn’t it yesterday
When they were small

“Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers
Blossoming even as we gaze

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“Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears…”

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Clocks or no clocks, it’s time for me to get busy editing. May your days bring you many moments of peace, happiness and joy.

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32 thoughts on “Passing Time”

I have quite a few clocks in my house…I have a “rule” that says they have to have all the numbers on them. I realized this morning that most of my clocks still were not set ahead one full week after they should have been. So one of the things on my to do list today was to get them all at least somewhere close to the right time.

I too am retired and when not substituting, have found the lack of constraint in doing things “on time” is very freeing…Time for me does tend to pass by quickly, it seems especially since the time change.

Dear Carol,
golden words! Indeed the artificial time distracts us. We must follow the nature, that’s the Sun. Some years ago I crafted a sun-clock. It’s so brilliant idea and easy to be made. You only need a piece of something solid & hard & a stick. And no batteries!

I have no clocks, Carol, except the one on my computer. I’m fortunate that some-“times” I don’t even know what day it is. Ha ha. I look forward to moving more gracefully toward Indian time and living by the natural rhythms of the sun. Lovely photos especially of children who indeed show us the passage of time. 🙂

I love your collection of clocks. Time like space, if not infinite, is vast beyond our imagination. Instead of feeling slighted I always feel fortunate for the time allotted to me. You have a beautiful daughter and grandkids. It is amazing what we learn late. I remember when I thought, ‘if I were a rich man’. Lovely Post! Take care.

Such powerful insights about time and space, Bob. It’s so hard for most of us to even imagine what infinite means. We are not even a speck in either, and yet we have an opportunity to make the most of what we’ve been given.

I wonder if I felt compelled to collect interesting clocks – one for every room – because I so disliked the schedules I felt forced to follow for so many years. Deadline after deadline – an interesting word, dead – line, don’t you think? Now, I think that “being on time” reminders felt less oppressive when they came from a piece of art.

One last thought – It’s interesting to consider how much we might have missed in life had we been rich, eh? 🙂

Thanks for the fun post and sharing some personal photos Carol. What a beautiful looking family you have. With respect to time, my wife lovingly tells me I live on Indian time, I saw an amusing meme the other day with respect to daylight savings time. Something along the lines of all of the government hotel and in the end that taking 1 foot of a blanket and moving it to the other end of the blanket would make the blanket longer. Peace to you my friend.

Beautiful to read and listen, Carol. I like the thought of Indian time; didn’t know about it. Earlier this morning I sat outside with my sons’ young cat. His day is like the beginning of a new daily adventure. His adventures start when the people wake up, and come to rest when they go to sleep (and many times in between). Wish you a wonderful day. groetjes, Hanneke

I’m happier when I don’t pay attention to clocks, though they’re definitely convenient for making certain train and bus rides. 🙂 I don’t currently own a clock (except the one on my cheap phone) and haven’t owned a watch in decades.

Thank you for your thoughtful comments, A Shift In Consciousness. It is confusing to have so many clocks, each set at a different time. Resetting them is something I resist, though, for most of the year. A minor form of resistance to a corporate agenda, I suppose, but it has it’s downside. I can never remember if the clock in my car has been adjusted. Yesterday when I headed to the class I co-teach, I wondered if I would be an hour late…

Carol, I like all your clocks – but then smile at you choosing to live by ‘Indian’ time! On holiday I like to live without watching the clock…a real treat and the days feel that childhood endless once again. We also tend to leave many clocks unchanged as the hour goes forward this weekend. Our main special clock in the house is a grandmother clock my father-in-law build and he passed on to our son – it is a beautiful piece and adds such serenity to our dining room. As a huge fan of Fiddler on the Roof (which I saw twice live with Topol) I am thoroughly enjoying listening to this song whilst writing. A real treat! 😀❤️